The Ponca City Board of Commissioners met in regular session on December 12, 2022. Mayor Homer Nicholson called the meeting to order, which was followed by the pledge of allegiance. Commissioner Shasta Scott and Commissioner Paul Taylor were in attendance.

Ceremonies and Proclamations Under Ceremonies and Proclamations, the character trait of Generosity was introduced for the month of December and defined as “managing resources to freely give”.

Consent Agenda Under the Consent Agenda, the City Commission approved the minutes of the Ponca City Board of Commissioners regular session held November 28, 2022 and work session held December 5, 2022; a resolution appropriating money for the payment of claims against the City of Ponca City, Oklahoma; a resolution of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Ponca City, Oklahoma amending the operating budget of various funds for Fiscal Year 2022-23; an acknowledgment of final acceptance and authorization of final payment to Hembree & Hodgson Construction, LLC for the 101 Rodeo Grounds Bleacher Slab Construction Project in the amount of $12,739.09; and a contract award for road construction materials to the lowest and most responsible bidder available for January 1, 2023 through June 30, 2023.

Reports Under Reports, City Manager Craig Stephenson reported that Autumn Leaf Collection is underway through January 22, 2023; the Christmas Tree Recycling Area will be open for the drop off of Christmas trees from December 22, 2022 through January 22, 2023; and a City Commission work session will be held on Monday, December 19, 2022 and a City Commission regular meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 27, 2022.

Stephenson also announced that Kelsey Wagner filed for City Commissioner No. 1 position and Garrett Bowers filed for City Commissioner No. 3 position, and they are unopposed. Wagner and Bowers will serve a period of three years and will be sworn in as incoming City Commissioners during the February 27, 2023 City Commission meeting. Their term will officially begin March 1, 2023. A reception will be held prior to the meeting at 5:00 p.m., to celebrate the incoming City Commissioners and outgoing City Commissioner No. 1 Lanita Chapman and outgoing City Commissioner No. 3 Shasta Scott.

New Business Under New Business, the City Commission approved a resolution by the Mayor and Board of Commissioners to direct City staff to prepare an agreement between the City of Ponca City and Theresa Sackett to paint a mural on the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad) Underpass in Ponca City and authorized the Mayor to sign the agreement. Earlier this year, the City engaged the services of a general contractor to make necessary bridge repairs to the Union Street bridge over Highland Avenue. A local artist, Theresa Sackett, approached City staff with a proposal to paint one or more murals on the concrete pillars which support this underpass On July 25, 2022 the Commission heard a formal presentation, complete with detailed examples of what these murals could look like if permission was granted to undertake the project. A resolution was approved and staff prepared an agreement with the artist to begin work immediately and solicit financial support for the project. With the mural project nearing completion, the artist has been communicating with BNSF Railroad about the possibility of painting the pillars which support the nearby railroad underpass. Talks with the railroad have progressed to the extent that BNSF is prepared to issue a permit to the artist if she can present written evidence that the City of Ponca City is supportive of the project. The approved resolution and agreement execution will be used so that the artist may obtain a permit from BNSF.

The City Commission approved an agreement upgrading to a 10-Year Officer Safety Plan with AXON Enterprises, Inc. for the purchase of 45 TASER Units, 45 Body Camera Units, and 3 Virtual Reality Headsets, and authorized the Mayor to sign the agreement for the annual cost of $119,262.58. In Fiscal Year 2018-19, the Mayor and Board of Commissioners appropriated funds and approved the purchase of 36 TASER units and 36 AXON body worn video cameras. This was done on a 5-year plan called the Officer Safety Plan. Since that time, the department has added six more TASER units, six more body worn video cameras, and necessary software licensing to that plan and the annual cost is now $53,352.00. Fiscal Year 2023 would be the end of that 5-year plan. AXON is now offering a 10-year Officer Safety Plan that will lock in pricing effective immediately. By approving this update to the Officer Safety Plan, the Police Department will sign on and begin on January 1, 2023. This new plan will be for 45 AXON TASER 7 Units and body worn video cameras, camera docking/charging/ uploading stations, full redaction suite software and back end software for the management of video, and all needed licenses to access, archive, edit, and redact video as needed, unlimited secure “cloud” storage for both AXON generated video, audio, and photos, as well as, unlimited cloud storage for any thirdparty generated video, audio, photos, documents, etc. This also includes a “signal sidearm” sensor for the TASER holster that activates the cameras if the TASER is removed from the holster. Also, included in this pricing is TASER training equipment, all needed TASER cartridges, TASER holsters and mounts, three AXON VR (Virtual Reality) Training Headsets, a Glock Pistol VR trainer, two Samsung tablets to run the VR training modules, and AXON Standards use of force reporting software. Within this program, all Body Worn Cameras and docking/charging/uploading stations will be replaced every 2.5 years, the VR Headsets will be replaced every 2.5 years, and all TASERs will be replaced every 5 years. The cost for this Officer Safety Plan on the 10-year agreement is $119,262.58 annually, for a total 10-year cost of $1,192,626.10. The first payment will be due in December 2022. The plan agreement includes language stating that if funds are not appropriated in subsequent years, the plan can be voided and all equipment can be sent back with no penalty.

The City Commission approved Change Order No. 1 in the deduct amount of $76,617.80, acknowledge final acceptance and authorize final payment to K & R Builders, Inc. on the Union Street, Over Highland Avenue, Bridge Rehabilitation Project in the amount of $28,518.71. Construction began on this project on June 6, 2022 and the bridge was opened to traffic on October 15, 2022. Upon receipt of the final pay request, a change order was prepared to reconcile all final pay item quantities. The change order resulted in a net decrease of $76,617.80 in the final contract amount. The contract was originally awarded in the amount of $917,270.46. The as-built contract amount is $840,652.66, an 8.4% decrease. A one-year maintenance bond was included as part of the contract and time will start on that maintenance bond upon the City’s final acceptance of the project. A final inspection on the project has shown that all items of work have been satisfactorily completed and staff recommends that final payment be authorized.

The City Commission received the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Annual Financial Statements and accompanying Independent Auditor’s Report for the City of Ponca City, Oklahoma from BT & Co., P.A., for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The statutorily required external audit of the City’s financial statements was conducted by BT & Co., P.A. of Topeka, Kansas. The audit was presented in draft form to Finance staff for review. BT & Co., P.A. staff made a presentation of audited financial statements for the City of Ponca City. The audit resulted in an unqualified opinion and is for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.

The City Commission also received the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Single Audit Report for the City of Ponca City from BT & Co., P.A., for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The statutorily required external Single Audit Report for each of the City’s major federal programs was conducted by BT & Co., P.A. of Topeka, Kansas. The audit report was presented in draft form to Finance staff for review. Staff presented the audit report to the Commissioners for their acceptance.

PCUA (PONCA CITY UTILITY AUTHORITY)

PCUA Consent Agenda Under the PCUA Consent Agenda, the PCUA Trustees approved the minutes of the PCUA regular session held November 28, 2022; a resolution appropriating money for the payment of claims against the PCUA of Ponca City, Oklahoma; an acknowledgment receipt of Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Construction Permit WL000036220630 for the construction of 830 Linear Feet of 8-Inch PVC potable water line, 37.5 Linear Feet of 6-Inch PVC potable water line, and all appurtenances to serve the 2100 and 2200 blocks of East Hartford Avenue, Kay County, Oklahoma; and the final Change Order No. 1 in the deduct amount of $106,685.28, acknowledging final acceptance and authorizing final payment for the Water Treatment Plant’s Clearwell Rehabilitation Project to Luckinbill Construction Company in the amount of $34,077.90.

PCUA New Business Under PCUA New Business, the PCUA Trustees received the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Annual Financial Statements and accompanying Independent Auditor’s Report for PCUA from BT & Co., P.A., for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.